I just got an email with images from Lenny at HyperWerk, turns out my first foray into the world of CNC milling is done. And it looks better than I had ever expected, which is great news for me since I can now use it for my upcoming ElectroPlastiques solo show in Akron, Ohio next week.
The radial milling paths really make the piece come alive, of course it doesn’t hurt that Corian is such a beautiful material to begin with. I’ll definitely have to explore CNC more as a possible output medium, it provides some of the fine detail of rapid prototyping while allowing for much larger pieces. And the organic quality provided by the milling paths is very appealing, especially considering the digital origin of the form.
See my Flickr stream for more images. My thanks to Andreas and Lenny for their help with milling and photos!
02:15 | March 12th, 2008 | marius watz | +del.icio.us | +digg | trackback
We’re making good progress at the HyperWerk digital fabrication workshop, see the new Fabbing @ HyperWerk Flickr group for details.
12:51 | February 27th, 2008 | marius watz | +del.icio.us | +digg | trackback
Digital fabrication tools like CNC milling and laser cutting impose their own restrictions on production, such as what materials can used and what size objects can be processed. Additionally, in order to produce a 3D form using a 2D technique like laser cutting, some way must be found for translating 3D into 2D and back again.
Possible fabrication strategies
- Contouring and volumetric cross-sections (#1, #2, #3)
- Unfolding (for example using Lamina)
- Interlocking assembly (#1, #2)
- CNC-milled relief (#1, #2)
For a more complete list of strategies, look at this page from Ball State University. The PDF they link to contains a ton of great examples.
11:20 | February 19th, 2008 | marius watz | +del.icio.us | +digg | trackback
09:15 | February 19th, 2008 | marius watz | +del.icio.us | +digg | trackback
I’m at HyperWerk in Basel, Switzerland teaching a workshop in parametric design for the next two weeks. Files will be uploaded to the following address:
http://workshop.evolutionzone.com/workshops/080218_hyperwerk/
Task for the day:
- Find an example of a project involving parametric design or rapid manufacturing.
- Prepare to give a 3 minute presentation of the project and explain why you think it’s a good example of parametric design.
15:08 | February 18th, 2008 | marius watz | +del.icio.us | +digg | trackback
